You can't Start a Fire without a Spark
by Sleepless in Boston
Summary: When Mindy and Danny go to a medical conference in Mindy's hometown of Boston, they run into Mindy's old med school friends and end up at an Indian wedding. Sparks fly between these two when they get a taste of what life could be like if they just got swept up in their attraction for each other. Set post season 1.
1. Chapter 1

**Mindy and Danny: You can't start a fire without a spark**

"I need a love reaction, come on baby give me just one look/

You can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark/

This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark./

….You can't start a fire, worrying' about your little world falling apart/

This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark."

-Bruce Springsteen, _Dancing in the Dark_

Summary: When Mindy and Danny go to a medical conference in Mindy's hometown of Boston, they run into Mindy's old med school friends and end up at an Indian wedding. Sparks fly between these two when they get a taste of what life could be like if they just got swept up in their attraction for each other. Set post season 1.

Disclaimer: TMP characters…so much to explore, so little time. All other names and characters are purely fictional, except for Tom and Gisele, but they almost qualify for being purely fictional.

Author's note: Wrote the character of Mindy's med school friend with Reese Witherspoon in mind as a guest star. Also wanted to give some background from Mindy's past, like family, friends, upbringing. Never wrote one of these before, so I have no idea what I'm doing. Hope it works on some levels. I am not sure where this story ends...

Ch1: Stress barfs are back, and back to work!

6 am, Friday morning. Mindy hadn't yet packed for Boston, but just before going to bed, she had made a mental list of the outfits she would be packing. She was a master procrastinator, something she and Maggie, one of her best friends, honed to perfection. It was a challenge to see how far could they go without having task "x" blow up in their faces. They weren't sloppy about what they did, but they liked to know that they could step up and somehow get it done. They worked well under pressure because of it. Maggie, who was now almost out of her cast from the dodgeball fiasco that occurred while she was running PE drills with her students, wasn't always going to be a teacher. She was actually pre-med, like Mindy, in college. They were in general chemistry and lab partners, and still laugh about the incident when Maggie almost set the lab on fire because she was titrating the chemicals too damn fast over the flame. While Mindy realized that she couldn't really procrastinate on things like her organic chemistry test or her calculus classes, she often did put off her English papers until the last minute. Maggie, on the other hand, could not get to that organic chemistry problem set until she hit the gym and got her head completely cleared. Their procrastinating ways also helped them figure out what was really important to them, and it all worked out for them professionally.

6:15 am Mindy hit the snooze.

6:30 am Mindy hit the snooze.

6:45 am Mindy hit the snooze but decided she should get up in a couple.

6:47 am Mindy stirred out of bed, once her mind made up, and jumped in the shower, ready to get the day started. After showering, she padded over to her amazing walk in closet/room to choose something to wear that day. She shivered, since she only had a towel wrapped around her and she kept her apartment at a cool 70 degrees, even in the fall. Surgeons were like that, they were used to the cool temperatures of the operating room. She glanced around and sighed. Her closet was still in a state of dissarray since the night of the impromptu wedding with Casey that didn't happen. Mindy remembered she was trying to find something suitable to wear after Casey managed to pee all over her white wedding dress, which was actually a beautiful white cocktail dress with a scalloped neckline and laser cut lace detail that was both modern in its silhouette but traditional in its modesty. And, her best friends weren't even there since it was such short notice for the wedding, just her office friends and co-workers, never mind her family, who didn't even know about him….yet. The fashion genius move was lost on this group, as it reflected Mindy's personality perfectly; in contrast, her BFFs would have picked up on it in a second. Her small diamond studs were the perfect accent, not pearls as would have been the obvious choice, 'cause Mindy had to have some bling. She was frustrated, because nothing else in her closet would do, and because as she was trying to find that perfect understudy of a dress ready for its Broadway debut, when she started to get a queasy feeling in her stomach, hence the fresh air on the fire escape. _Not that she actually wanted to escape…did she?_

"Oh God, not the stress barfs again," Mindy thought. Mindy wrapped up her introspective moment and was looking forward to going back to work now, and chose a killer outfit complete with her favorite black Jimmy Choo pumps.

7:45 am. Mindy expertly packed her weekend suitcase. Not bag, suitcase. She prided herself on her packing skills and was very organized. She had e-bags and packed in 10 minutes, a new record. She'd have to text Maggie about that one. She got the suitcase on the scale…49 lbs. "Damn, I'm good today," she smiled to herself. She took a selfie with her and the suitcase and texted to Maggie "under 10, a new record." _Take that, Danny_. "There is no such thing as overpacking, just being prepared," she retorts to him in her mind because she can hear his voice in her mind saying, "I told you not to overpack!"

9:06 am. Danny greeted Mindy as she strolled into the office, "Nice of you to show up to work," he said with a smirk. He missed teasing her about always being just a little late to the office. The office felt lighter and brighter with her here again. He was writing some prescription refills on a clinic patient on the counter near Betsy's desk. Danny had already made rounds at the hospital this morning after being post-call. He went for a morning run, showered, shaved and dressed in his standard Wednesday outfit-a grey button down, dark washed jeans and dark belt, with a white doctor's coat, and stethoscope that hung around his neck.

"Good morning, Danny. For your information, I just packed in record time, a new personal best, so it was worth it," she said, and proudly smiled at him.

"Just keep thinking that as you try to lift that monstrosity to the overhead bin," he shot back as he kept writing.

"Yeah, Danny, when it changes four seasons in one afternoon in Boston, we'll see who's laughing then, Caste-lamo," she quipped. She had no plans to lift the giant suitcase to the overhead bin, as she learned her lesson and was going to check the bag, but she was _never_ going to let him know he was right.

"They only have two seasons in Boston, cold, and colder."

"No, you mean cold and 'wicked cold'," Mindy retorted in a faux Boston accent which revealed that she has spent a lot of time in the area.

Making a mock face of horror, Danny replied, "Nooo! Not the accent! That only comes out when you've been drinking heavily or are post-call, or both."

"Hey, it's warded off would-be muggers on multiple occasions. Yeah, you'd be surprised how it throws them off when a dainty Indian woman busts out with an in-your-face-Good-Will-Hunting accent. They don't know what to do with me, so they run away."

"I'm sure the pepper spray helped too."

Mindy had long ditched the backpack, jean shirt and converse she sported when one of the nurses, Tamara, thought she was a little boy trying to sell candy to the staff. Mindy was wearing a colorful and fashion forward outfit-a mix of patterns, textures and jewel-toned colors that somehow seemed to work on her. This didn't go unnoticed by Danny as he couldn't help but run his eyes top to toes on her, stopping at her black Jimmy Choo pumps and smiled. Her hair was still short, but had grown out a little, and she styled it in a way that looked sophisticated and cute at the same time.

"Heeeeyyyyy, Dr. L, er, I mean Big L, good to see you back!" Morgan said enthusiastically and gave her a big brother bear hug while he reached to toulsel her hair. Mindy was still peeved about a developing situation with Dr. Paul Leotard, who was still squatting in her office. He refused to move the hell out and somehow got the staff to call _him_ Dr. L, which was obviously her office nickname.

"Hey Morgan, good to see you, too. Hey man, can you not hug me so tight, and _don't_ mess up my hair!" Mindy hugged him back and then pushed him off her playfully.

"Is Jeremy in the office yet?" Mindy asked Betsey.

"Oh, he's got a C-section scheduled this morning, so he's at the hospital, but he said to say, "Welcome back!" Betsey replied. Mindy still felt badly about pointing out that Jeremy had easily gained 30 pounds due to stress eating, but kinda smiled when he acknowledged he once got to the size of "a small ski chalet while studying for his exams". Maybe she could get Maggie to help him out and do a "boot camp" thing to get him back in shape. She knew as vain as Jeremy was, that to let himself go, he was probably really stressed. Mindy made a mental note to check in on him later to see what was up and if she could help.

Now that she said her hellos and salutations, where was Mindy going to work? She turned her attention to Danny.

"Danny, today is your lucky day. You now have an office roommate, with whom you can now consult with whenever you want when it comes to your tough cases." She smiled coyly and breezed by him. Danny could smell some lingering combination of hair shampoo and a nice perfume in her wake on her way to his office. Mindy sat down opposite to Danny's brown leather mid-century office chair, and took out her laptop from her bag and started to chart in the electronic medical record of one of her clinic patients.

Danny sauntered to the doorway of his office. "Hey, Mindy, this office was not made for two, you know. Can you work in Dr. Schulman's old office for now until we figure out where Paul is going to be?"

"Danny, I can't work in an office that was obviously decorated for a man in his late 60's. Oh, God, I don't want to get a trigger for that horrible day when I wore that ridiculous menswear-inspired suit to work and ran into the old guy on the elevator wearing the exact same suit and instagrammed it. Even more, I'm still so bummed I lost so badly in the 'who wore it better' office poll. You know, Danny, ever since that day, I refuse to wear blazers. Anyways, Dr. Schulman's office seems like it might be a perfect fit for you…so what if you worked there today?" Mindy said sweetly with a knowing smile and couldn't help herself. "I'm willing to work in your office, decorated for a man in his early to mid 50's with the jazz fest posters, Rothko prints, and photo of Yankee stadium decor."

"Mindy, we are both in our 30's you know," Danny reminded her yet again, and threw his hands in the air. He missed this back and forth when she was gone, but he had work to do, and he liked to work in his own space. "Okay," he resigned and settled opposite her across his desk and started typing away on his electronic charts. He let out a Danny-sigh as he sat down. _Why does Mindy always seem to get her way with me? _Ten minutes went by without them talking, just the sound of typing on their computers.

"Hey Danny, can I run a patient by you?" Mindy asked.

"Sure, what's up, Min?" Danny stopped typing to look at her. She ran the patient case by him, they debated back and forth, pulled up a few journal articles and then formulated a plan together. Mindy felt better, since the patient was coming in later that afternoon for an appointment. They resumed their charting in a comfortable silence.

4:30 pm. Mindy powered down her laptop with satisfaction after a productive day. "Hey, Danny, I'm taking off for Boston a little early to see the parents and visit some med school friends. See you at the conference on Saturday, and can you save me and Lisa a seat next to you in the conference room? I know you'll be there before me since I'm coming in from Concord."

"Sure, no problem. Who's Lisa?" Danny asked.

"Oh, she's one of my really good friends from med school who stayed in Boston for her residency. You''ll like her, she's cool." And with that, Mindy left work a little early and headed to the airport to catch her flight to Boston.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2: Mindy's side of the Mindy-Danny pact: kill me if we haven't found someone in 5 years

Mindy was excited to be back in Boston. She made her first pit stop for coffee at Dunkie's (aka Dunkin Donuts) at the airport. "One coffee, regula," she says. That's coffee with cream and sugar.

Rishi was already back at Stanford, so it was just going be Mindy and her parents at home this weekend. Even though Mindy was in her early 30's, her parents still had a tendency to treat her like a child when she went back home. Rishi and Mindy were the typical first generation kids growing up with immigrant parents in a suburb. Her parents worked hard, they sacrificed, they never made Mindy or Rishi get summer jobs. The only expectation was that they do well in school and make a better life for themselves, which was never officially voiced, it was just _known_. Mindy came through, as she was class valedictorian, went to Princeton, and then became a doctor. Growing up, Mindy remembered that her parents seemed to have different rules than her other friends' parents, at least the Caucasian ones, anyways. There were a bunch of rules that didn't make sense to Mindy growing up, but in retrospect, now made perfect sense to her.

Rule #1: No sleepovers at other people's houses. With rare exception, she was not allowed to spend the night at her friends' houses. Mindy would have to fight to go if it was a slumber party, but that quickly was a moot point after elementary school. "Why do you feel the need to spend the night at a friend's house after you have spent all day with with them at school?" her mother would always ask her. The interesting paradox was that they didn't care if her friends spent the night at their house. Now, she realized her parents weren't too off the mark. There was some weird stuff going on at other people's houses she found out later.

Rule #2: No dating. Period. Not that Mindy had guys knocking down her door when she was an awkward teenage girl with baby fat, big glasses, and a boy haircut. She was a "late bloomer", meaning that neither her looks nor intelligence peaked in high school, thank God. However, when she did meet a guy once during a debate and forensics tournament, she had to get Rishi to help her coordinate the equivalent of a black ops to go on a date without them knowing. Because she didn't really date, it also meant that she didn't always know when someone was interested in her and trying to send her signals, or how to let a guy down easily if she wasn't into him. Once, she shook a guy's hand at the end of a date. She still grimaced when she thought about it. In college, Gwen had to clue her in on "the look" that a guy gives a girl when he really wants her. "He just…..looks at you, and sometimes angles his head a little," she said. Mindy filed that one away, but hadn't seen it yet. Well, maybe in a doctor's lounge when she was about to go to Haiti, but she wasn't sure, and she hadn't seen it since, so maybe it didn't really happen and she just "imagined it?" Anyways, Mindy had a lot of catching up to do in the dating department to make up for lost time.

Rule #3: Take off your shoes in the house. "Shoes are dirty and should be taken off," her mother would say. "What if you stepped on dog poop or something?" Mindy agreed after her surgical training that germs should be kept out of the house, but had a hard time explaining this to _every single person_ who walked in her apartment. When her Caucasian friends came over, she didn't make them take off their shoes, but her Asian and Indian friends knew to do so without saying anything. Except for Danny, as he knew to take off his shoes because they once had a conversation about it in the doctor's lounge.

As she thought about other rules, she spotted her mom and dad and waved to them. "Mindy, what did you do to your hair?" her mom said, " You look like a little boy. How will you find a husband if you look like a little boy?" she asked. Dad just gave her a hug, "Ah, it's not so bad," he said. They were retired now, and spent a lot of time in their garden, cooking, and entertaining friends.

On the drive home, her mother informed her, "Mindy, we are having a get-together with the usual friends tonight. Feel free to invite your friend over for dinner."

"Right, but remember, I made plans with Lisa and Deep for dinner tonight at a restaurant in Boston already?" Mindy reminded them. She had a suspicion they were working up to something else they wanted to tell her.

"Oh, Mindy, there is a wedding this weekend, too. Remember the Srivastavas? Their daughter is getting married this weekend, so we need to make an appearance." her mom blurted out. She knew this was a sensitive topic for Mindy.

"Ugh, I don't want to go to yet another wedding where they ask why I am not engaged, or ask me what my deal is," Mindy groaned. Mindy hated it when her mom brought up the topic of marriage with her. When Mindy turned 32 last year and was no where close to having a "serious Indian boyfriend", her parents sat her down on the couch and had an honest to God _intervention_. They didn't call it an intervention, but it met the criteria, she thought in retrospect. At least at Danny's intervention there was wine and cheese, and thank goodness he wasn't really addicted to drugs, just coffee as it turned out.

Mindy recalls her intervention like it was yesterday. They were sitting at the dinner table. "Mindy, you are not getting any younger," her mom started by saying, "and you have not yet found a love match. Dad and I have talked, and think we have a good compromise for you." Mindy crossed her arms in front of her, waiting for her to finish. "If you have not found a love match in 5 years, we think it would be reasonable that we helped you out by finding a nice man to marry. Don't you want to have kids and someone to share your life with and grow old together? You don't want to be Auntie Mindy looking after Rishi's kids when you're older, do you?"

"Of course not," Mindy sighed. She wanted to make the topic go away, and though she had no real intentions of going through with an arranged marriage, she decided to appease them at the time, "Sure, fine, okay, I'll think about it if I haven't found anyone." Mindy's mind flashed back to her pact with Danny and how he agreed that they would kill each other if they hadn't found anyone in five years. She recalled the reason she said that was that she was thinking of the arranged marriage proposal, though she never told Danny that. It was also why she was a serial dater, since there was added pressure to find "the one." Luckily, she had found Casey and they wouldn't have to kill each other after all. She hadn't told her parents about Casey yet…there just wasn't a right time to bring it up. Maybe this weekend she would….

Truth be told, Mindy was looking forward to a little break from New York, especially since Casey just decided to defer their wedding and head back to Haiti without her. She was sad to see him go at the airport, but beyond excited that she was going to have her own space back for a bit, like coming up for air. Hmmm, she wondered why she thought of that visual when she fell in the pool just then, but dismissed it. Mindy's mind wandered back to the fire escape and Danny. He always managed to find her when she really felt…alone. It was like he had some "Mindy SOS" radar, like the time she was on the verge of the "ugly cry" moment when giving her Christmas speech, or on her wedding day.

Even so, that night, when Mindy was snuggling under her comfy duvet 1000 count thread sheets, and drifting off to sleep, she had an image of the wedding decor still in various states of falling down in her living room. It was strange, Mindy thought all her problems were solved. She finally found a guy, who wasn't a dick, like Danny said she always went for. After a pint of Ben and Jerry's one night, she decided she was over trying to rehab bad boys, that she needed a man whom she didn't need to fix. _She_ could barely get it together, much less fix someone else into the perfect man. Now, she was in a relationship with a great guy who made her aspire to be a better person, like going to a women's prison or going to Haiti, two instances, she realized where she essentially got her hair chopped off. She got a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about the almost-wedding, like those damn stress barfs might be coming back, but she quickly suppressed it by closing her eyes and thinking, "a lot to process, so I think I'll go to bed and think about it later."


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3: Reflections

Fall in Boston, a crisp air settles over the city, and the leaves on the trees change to brilliant colors of red, oranges, and yellows. It's an energizing time of year. After a relatively short summer when it seems all of greater New England tries to congregate somewhere on the Cape, and the city is thankfully a little more relaxed, and less, well full of angry people trying to get to their destination, the city suddenly takes on a different feel when the students come driving in with their Uhauls. The students are back, the Bed Bath and Beyond and Target have been picked over to nothing, and it is a new beginning, a chance to start the new academic year fresh again.

Mindy always loved that about Boston, it was the ultimate college town, and it was a great place to be in the fall. She grew up in Concord, a suburb outside of Boston with her parents and her little bro Rishi. The fall was a time where apple picking and dressing up for Halloween brought back great memories, like the time she dressed up as as Diane from Cheers. Actually, scratch that, because that was during the "I was dating a crackpot and didn't know it year," as Mindy would say to Gwen. If Mindy thought about it, she remembered that she would agree to disagree with her goddaughter, Riley, that Linus was a dummy for waiting around and hoping the great Pumpkin would come around, which in Mindy's mind was a metaphor for her Nora Ephron hero to pop up in a random pumpkin patch. But, Riley's reminder that hoping for it anyways was okay, which made her feel better and gave her the courage to get out there.

Anyways, Mindy was excited because she was going back to Boston for a medical conference, and of course, to stop by and see her family and friends. She was particularly excited when her really good friend from med school, Lisa Desai, called her at home to firm up dinner plans. "Hey Min, it has been forever, since we have seen each other! How have you been?"

As it turns out, Mindy had several tiers of friends. There were her "best friends" like Gwen, Alex and Maggie from college. Best friend status was an honor bestowed upon the few, who were able to really get to know Mindy and quite, frankly, either call her out on her quirks, and let her be who she really was at that moment-and they were always there for her, like she was for them. Best friend status allowed Gwen to say stuff like, "Mindy, Carl and I know like, three datable guys that we can set friends up with and I can't squander it on a high risk situation like this." Turns out, Carl traded up to a Mindy 2.0 version, beautiful, smart (she graduated a few years behind Mindy at Princeton) and seemed like she had her life together. Whatever, his loss, dude. Best friend status also came with responsibilities, however, like when Gwen had to bail Mindy out of jail for that "Serbian bagel girl wedding speech incident of 2012." Mindy told Gwen they can't dig that one up again until at least, five years, before it can be funny and they can laugh about it over a glass of good wine on girls night. Gwen thinks it's pretty funny now, though, but she keeps it to herself.

So, back to Lisa, her really good friend. Really good friend status, is someone who, you can still pick up your friendship where you left it because it was built on a real foundation, but not someone who you are going to call to bail your ass out of jail. Mindy went to school with Lisa in high school, but didn't really become friends with her until medical school. Although Mindy didn't dislike her, she didn't exactly hang out with her, either. Lisa was one of those rare types in high school that you keep running to in life later, the "triple threats". There is always that person, who just seems to have it all. And for some reason, they can do three things, really well. Lisa was pretty (and bore a striking resemblance to Reese Witherspoon), on the drill team, smart and in Mindy's honors classes, and also could sing, so was in the musicals with the drama kids. There was no group that Lisa didn't belong to, and it was kind of nauseating, quite frankly.

Lisa and Mindy went to different colleges, but met up again in medical school in Boston. On the first day of orientation, Mindy recognized Lisa, and went to say hello. Lisa gave her a friendly hug and asked how she was. They were in the same anatomy group together and started a study group as well. If there was one thing about med school, it was tough. A topic that would take a semester in college was given in a syllabus and you were expected to know the material in 4 weeks. Med school was a special place, where one went from being book smart to a doctor in training. It was a place where the bond of common and shared experience cemented a friendship that time nor distance broke because people saw you at your most tired, most defeated, but also most exhilarated and happy.

Med school can make or break relationships, as Lisa will attest to. When she entered med school, Lisa had a boyfriend, who was also in med school. He was her boyfriend from college, was one of those really smart guys who was still into grunge and flannel even though it was getting past its prime in the late 90s, and who treated her like she was so lucky to be with him. Lisa came to her senses one night when Mindy and Lisa were studying for anatomy finals over their cadaver in the lab. They were studying the vessels on the heart, the left coronary to the left anterior descending, and left circumflex; the right coronary and the posterior descending artery, when Lisa said, "I think the formaldehyde fumes may be getting to me, but I'm not happy with him." Mindy bit her lip, but always knew Lisa's boyfriend made her feel "less than"-less smart, less beautiful…less than she deserved. Lisa talked, Mindy listened, and eventually Lisa broke it off with him and during her cardiology rotation met a good looking, cardiology fellow with the last name of Desai. Lisa stayed in Boston for her OB-gyn residency in Boston. Fast forward, and 2 babies later, and in an awesome brownstone in Back Bay, like practically next to Tom Brady and Gisele near the Boston Common, they live and work. Mindy, on the other hand, matched in New York at Columbia-Presbyterian, where she met Danny and Jeremy. Danny was a chief resident and Jeremy was a second year resident.

"Lisa, I got Jeremy to cover my patients at work, so I am here early for the conference. How about we catch up over dinner with you and your hubby at a nice restaurant…can you get a baby sitter on such short notice?" Mindy asked as a not so subtle hint that she didn't want to be surrounded by two parents running around chasing their kids in the living room while they try to have a conversation. Been there, done that.

"So glad you said that, MIn, 'cause I already took care of it. No screaming children, check." answered Lisa with a chuckle. "Oh, gotta go, one of the kiddos has a crayon in hand and headed straight towards a wall."

"Alright, see you then!" Mindy said brightly and hung up.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch4: Bollywood meets Riverdance: Mindy has hope.

Mindy drove into Boston to meet her friends at a nice restaurant near the Boston Common, just a couple of blocks from Newbury Street. Her friends were walking over from their brownstone on Commonwealth Avenue. Mindy decided to splurge on valet parking, not feeling the desire to drive around and parallel park at a meter. Since being in Manhattan, she didn't trust her parallel parking skills anymore. The unofficial rule was that if you block traffic to parallel park in Boston, you'd better do it right on the first try, or you'd be getting an earful with someone honking at you from behind, and yelling, "Learn how to paaahk!"

Mindy sat at the table and saw Lisa and her husband coming in and waved them over.

"Hi Mindy!" Lisa saw Mindy and gave her a big hug, "you look great! I love your hair, so Audrey Hepburn." Lisa, of course, looked fabulous in a black sheath dress on her petite frame, her long, blonde hair blown out to perfection with her bangs framing her heart-shaped face. Standing next to Lisa was her husband, Sandeep, or "Deep" as Mindy called him. He looked sharp in a Banana Republic button down and dark, straight leg jeans. He also had on a very nice watch, shoes and belt. Mindy had come to appreciate it when a man became a certain age and suddenly decided to change from sandals or vans and invest in a nice pair of leather shoes. A watch was a nice touch, but she smiled because she always teased Deep about being an old man for wearing a watch. _Who wears a watch anymore? _ Well, Danny did, but she gave him a hard time about that, too.

"Hey, Min," Sandeep leaned and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hey, Deep, how have you been?" Mindy returned a quick air kiss on the cheek.

They sat down and ordered cocktails. Mindy ordered a cran-pomegranate sangria. Sangria was her signature drink. Lisa ordered a fuzzy navel. Deep ordered a Sam Adams Boston lager. The thing about doctor friends was that whenever they get together, even outside or work, the conversation inevitably ended up about work. It was perfectly accepted that this would happen, and it was usually a little bit of an ice breaker for doctor friends before transitioning to other topics. Mindy and Lisa exchanged some OB-gyn stories and Deep threw in a couple of stories about being an attending physician for the new medical students and residents on cardiology. He lamented how it was "not like the good old days." Lisa and Mindy rolled their eyes laughed. "You sound so old!" Lisa teased her husband.

"Hon, I'm only 5 years older," he said.

"Sometimes it seems you are from a different generation. You have such a weird playlist on your iPod…I've never heard of half of those musicians!" Lisa replied.

Mindy smirked a little. "Remember, Deep, when Lisa and I started our cardiology rotation as medical students and you were a first year cardiology fellow?" Mindy took pleasure of reminding Deep of how painfully obvious it was that he thought Lisa was h-o-t. Deep blushed a little. Deep always tried to play it cool around her, but he was always stealing glimpses of her when he thought she wasn't looking. Lisa, no dummy to male admirers, picked up on it immediately and flirted with him relentlessly during the 6 week rotation. It tortured Deep, and he confided in Mindy, "She's killing me, softly." Mindy kind of knew Deep since they were kids, as their parents were in similar circles of friends and they occasionally ran into each other at various Indian weddings and functions.

"Oh, remember your wedding? Man, I don't know how you guys managed to pull off an Irish Catholic-Hindu wedding, but it was a perfect blend of two cultures. I thought it would have been the recipe for the perfect storm like in _West Side Story_, but it was brilliant!" Mindy exclaimed. "You guys really know how to throw a multi-cultural party. It was like Bollywood meets Riverdance. Oh, was that racist?" Mindy wondered aloud. They all laughed, as their bottle of wine arrived and was served.

"Cheers, to the Desais!" Mindy exclaimed, as they toast. She drank her wine, thoroughly savoring the smooth finish of the wine and good conversation with old friends.

"The unlimited premium top shelf bar for the guests didn't hurt," Deep said, with a wink to Lisa. "Hey, Mindy, are you going to the wedding reception tomorrow night at the Taj "formerly-known-as the Ritz" hotel? Lisa and I are going after the conference wraps up. We won't be able to make the ceremony because of the conference."

"Ugh," Mindy put her hands to her face. "Yeah, but I am so sick of aunties coming up to me, pinching my cheeks and saying, 'we are praying for you, there's still hope' like I've got a case of terminal spinsterhood. Plus, it will be open season since my hair is short."

Lisa wrinkled her nose, "That sucks, do they really say that to your face?" she paused, "Hey, what if you came with a date?"

"Oh, actually, funny you mentioned that. Did I tell you that I'm engaged?" Mindy said, nonchalantly. "To a pastor, no less, who is in Haiti on a mission as we speak," Mindy finished a gulp of wine.

Lisa and Deep's mouths dropped open. "What?!" they both said in unison.

"How did you guys meet?" Lisa asked, as she quickly recovered. Mindy told them her love story- how they met on the subway, how she went to church and briefly thought about converting to Christianity for him, how she chopped off all her hair as her grand, romantic gesture to win him back, how she went to Haiti with him, and finally, how her volunteer work was cut short by an emergency gallbladder surgery. She told them about the "almost wedding" as well.

"How did you not know that you were having biliary colic?" Deep asked Mindy, "that was so textbook."

"Deep, is that all you got out of it?" Mindy asked.

"Wait, did you tell your parents or Rishi about him?" Lisa zeroed in on a flaw in her love story with Casey. They both looked at Mindy for a response.

"Well, Rishi knows about him," but edited that he didn't know that she was engaged. "And, with work being so busy and all, I just haven't found the right moment to tell them," she answered truthfully. Mindy diverted the topic back to something a little more safe: work gossip. She told them about the new doctor the practice hired while she was away in Haiti. The mood was light again. As they finish dessert and coffee, Mindy told Lisa that her colleague, Danny, would save them seats at the medical conference tomorrow and that she would text her when she got there. Mindy and Lisa have already planned that Mindy will get ready at Lisa's house for the reception later.

As Mindy drove back to her parent's house, she smiled as she thought of her friends Lisa and Deep. On paper, these two people seemed so different that a dating website would never put them together….she could imagine that the mathematical probability that Bollywood meets Riverdance would actually work out was not a large number. Their differences in culture, religion, politics, taste in music and movies, were not deal breakers. It made them more open to new experiences, different ideas, and more appreciative that they had each other to navigate through their one and crazy life together. These marrieds were "Team Desai" and it gave her hope.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch5: Danny: Killing Mindy softly

Mindy showed up to the conference a little late at the Hynes convention center in Back Bay. "Where r u?" she texted Danny.

"Middle-center section, aisle seat behind the first section of seats" he texted back. "Your friend Lisa found me." he added in his next text. Mindy had described Danny to Lisa during dinner last night, and since Lisa arrived early, she guessed correctly who Danny was based on Mindy's description. "He's got dark brown hair and eyes, dresses casually but well, and will more than likely be reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee in one hand with a scowl on his face." She introduced herself, smiled, and chatted a little about how they knew Mindy before the lecture started, and they saved her a seat between the two of them.

Mindy found Danny and Lisa, sat down, and they sat through many lectures together, scribbling notes on their handouts. It was finally time for the sessions to break for lunch.

"I'm starving," Mindy declared to Danny and Lisa, "where should we go for lunch?" They settled on a nearby restaurant in Back Bay. The topic of conversation went to the wedding that night at the Taj "formerly-known-as the-Ritz" hotel. Lisa found out earlier before Mindy showed up that Danny booked a room there during his stay in Boston for the conference.

"Hey, crazy idea, but Min, what if you took Danny to the wedding reception as your guest?" Lisa asked innocently. "That way, no aunties and pinched cheeks, problem solved."

"I'm sure Danny doesn't want to go to an Indian wedding reception. He probably just wants to relax in his hotel room and watch the Yankees lose to the Sox." Mindy answered for him. Danny looked at Mindy, as he shook his head _no_ to the thought of the Yankees losing to the Red Sox and lifted his left eyebrow ever so slightly. She knew _that look_, but he didn't say a word. Mindy loved that it was so easy to get him riled up about baseball, like the time she commented that the Red Sox players looked much tougher than the Yankees because they had stubble and long hair, and the Yankees looked like they could be bank executives. His automatic response, "Are you kidding me with that?"

"Danny, have you ever been to an Indian wedding reception?" Lisa asked. "It is awesome. I had never been to one before my own Catholic-Hindu wedding, and I can tell you it's an experience you won't regret!"

"I'd go if Mindy wanted me to," Danny said casually.

"Great, it's a date!" Lisa answered for Mindy. Now it was Mindy's turn to look at Lisa with a raised eyebrow. She shot her a _what the hell_ look. But, she relented. It might be kinda fun to see Danny out of his comfort zone.

"Well, I guess you are already staying at the hotel where the reception is going to be anyways, so you could always duck out and make an Irish exit," Mindy stated, forgetting the fact that her friend was of Irish descent.

"That's offensive," Danny said, looking at Mindy with a scowl. Lisa just laughed at the two of them.

"Okay, come over to my house to get ready," Lisa told Mindy. "Danny, you can meet us in the lobby bar at 6pm, and I'm sure the hotel concierge can help you find a tux." Lisa didn't know who Casey was, but she noted Mindy and Danny certainly had some natural chemistry together.

Mindy and Lisa got their hair done at a fancy salon, then dressed in their saris at Lisa's house. Lisa's sari was a royal blue with gold thread embellishments, which contrasted elegantly with her fair complexion and blue eyes. Mindy's sari was a rich, royal purple with detailed gold beading and intricate green and gold border detail, which draped beautifully over her curves. Her make-up was simple, the perfect subtle smoky eyes and luscious berry-colored pout. She had on lovely gold bangles, necklace, and finely detailed drop gold earrings. Deep was wearing traditional Hindu attire and looked very handsome. They all walked over to the hotel together, just a block away, and just a little late, running on Mindy time.

Mindy saw Danny at the bar, his back turned to her, talking to the bartender. From the back, she saw he was wearing a black tux. His broad shoulders filled out the tux nicely, and she focused in on what she always thought was one of the sexiest parts of a man-the back of his neck. It was the perfect place to kiss a guy, and Mindy unconsciously licked her lips. Danny's neck was kinda nice, she noted objectively. "Danny!" she called from a few feet away. Danny turned around, stood up from the barstool and started walking confidently to her with a crooked smile, the right corner of his mouth turned up slightly higher than the left.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored, Giorgio Armani two-button shawl collar tuxedo with a white evening shirt and a black neck tie. He was aware women were looking at him as he walked towards Mindy. Those women wanted to know who this guy was all dressed up for, because he looked h-o-t! That dreamy music in her head started and time slowed down. _For Danny? That's weird, but damn if every girl in the bar isn't looking at him, _Mindy thought.

"Whoa," she whispered under her breath. She flushed a little and realized she was gawking at him, too. Mindy closed her jaw, which may have been hanging to the floor, and recovered. Mindy blurted out the first thing that popped into her head, "Danny, I had no idea you could look so…smokin' hot! You clean up nicely!" she said brightly. _Did she just sound like a giddy teenage girl just then? _she wondered.

Danny blushed and looked at Mindy, "Nah, just a nice tux," he said in an uncharacteristically modest moment, mainly because he was stunned by how beautiful Mindy was in her colorful sari. He wanted to say she looked so beautiful, but his nerves got the best of him. So, instead...

Danny put his hands lightly around her upper arms and leaned in, "Min, you clean up pretty nicely yourself," he whispered in her ear and brushed his lips over her cheek with a light kiss. Mindy turned her head towards his neck, closed her eyes, and inhaled slowly to take in his scent- a sexy, masculine combination of soap, with a hint of vanilla and cocoa, aromatic spices, and a hint of tobacco leaves. _Nice cologn_e, _need to find out what it is later_, Mindy thought to herself. She was kept wondering as he pulled back to greet Lisa with a light kiss on the cheek. Mindy's eyes fluttered open and she had to take a moment to collect her thoughts. Danny wouldn't normally have greeted Mindy that way if they were going to grab a slice of pizza post call, but it was a special setting, and he's Italian, so it was natural for him.

Danny extended a handshake to Deep, "Nice to meet you Sandeep, I'm Danny, one of Mindy's colleagues. We work in the same practice. Lisa tells me that you all know each other from med school." The girls walked ahead of the guys, leaving Danny and Deep to chat about sports, beers, music and of course, stories from work as they head to the Grand Ballroom. Hoping Deep didn't notice, Danny stole a couple of glances at Mindy's figure as she walked ahead of him. Deep noticed, but didn't say anything. Deep got it. He'd been there, man, when he was pining after Lisa like a love-sick puppy.

Lisa linked arms with Mindy, leaned in, and whispered, "Danny is killing you softly, isn't he?" as she pulled back and winked at Mindy. To that, Mindy feigned surprise and then smiled to herself, _is it that obvious_? They all boarded the elevator to the top floor ballroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6: Strictly Bolly-room: Love is in the air

The Grand Ballroom was awash in fuchsia lighting, transforming it completely. There were flowers everywhere, fuchsia, tangerine, and purple. The huge crystal chandeliers twinkled over the enormous dance floor and the food was set up buffet style around the perimeter of the room, to make the most room for dancing, singing, and gathering, of course.

Music and dancing were already permeating the air as the elevator opened to the Grand Ballroom. The aroma of delicious Indian food also filled the air. It was also really a colorful sight of people dressed to kill in their finest gold jewelry and saris-mostly jewel toned colors-teal, fuchsia, royal blues and purples, some smattering of yellow and green saris. There was a mix of some non-Indian guests, friends of the bride and groom, mainly. The overwhelming majority were obviously friends and relatives of the parents. This was a huge family affair. The foursome made their way to the bar and order some cocktails. Mindy took a selfie with the group and sent it to Rishi, "miss you bro, no Aunties yet" she texts. They are all four chatting and having a good time, when an Auntie came over to greet them.

"Ahh, Mindy," she started off, "I hear you are not married yet," as she kissed Mindy on the cheek. "Don't worry, we go to temple and pray for you. Oh child, what happened to your hair? We may have to so some extra praying in this case." Auntie then noticed Danny and sized him up and down approvingly, "Or maybe not….who is this good-looking guy next to you with the dark, mysterious eyes?" she winked at Danny.

Mindy wondered if she could just die of embarrassment right now as her face flushed. Not only did she still have Aunties that would be praying for her, but now they were thinking she and Danny were an item. It was mildly scandalous that Danny wasn't Indian. What was _way_ more scandalous was that Mindy was over 30 and still not married. She thought about correcting her and saying, "No, I just work with him, and he's a friend" but she also thought about just letting them think they were together so she could hopefully avoid the other Aunties doing the same thing. She shot Danny a look that said _go with this_, and then linked her arm with Danny's, "Yep, he's with me all right, Auntie." He shot her a look back, _are you kidding me? _with a raised eyebrow. What had Mindy gotten them into now? The night was young, and Danny was thinking that whatever unfolded over the next couple of hours, Mindy would owe him, big time. More than the time he had to bail her out of "school jail."

"Ah, so exciting, Mindy," Auntie replied and gave her a hug, "Oh, I see your parents! Let me wave them over," and with that Mindy gave Danny a wide-eyed panicked look.

"Don't worry, I got this, Min," and quickly squeezed her hand before letting go.

"Oh, Saachee and Aadi, come over, come over!" Auntie waved to Mindy's parents. As Mindy's parents stopped about an arm's length away, Danny turned to Mindy's dad and then mom, put his hands in a prayer-like gesture in front of his chest, and with a slight bow of his head to show respect, greeted them with a namaste. They smiled, pleasantly surprised, returned the gesture, and then proceeded to extend their hands for a Western handshake.

"You didn't tell me that Mindy had a boyfriend, and here we were, praying for her at temple for a handsome husband! Looks like our prayers were answered, eh, Mindy?" Auntie teased. Mindy's mom and dad look startled, briefly, then quickly recovered. They explained that Mindy had been so busy at work, that she just told them this weekend. Auntie linked arms with Mindy's mom and guided her parents to their other friends, but not before Mindy's mother whispered in Mindy's ear, "we'll talk about this later." Mindy appreciated she didn't lose face in this pathetic farce in front of everyone. Her parents were going to play along for tonight.

As the cocktail reception went on, Mindy realized she felt different at this wedding reception. She was not miserable. It was the first time for a long time at a reception that no one was feeling…._sorry_ for her. In fact, some of the girls were looking rather enviously at her with Danny at her side. As she introduced Danny as her boyfriend again and again out loud, she had more conviction in her voice and body language. And he also seemed to getting into character quite nicely, putting his arm around her waist or at the small of her back. Mindy navigated him through various Indian customs and dances, and explained meanings behind them, which he took in with true interest. He genuinely laughed when Mindy decided to play the "what's their deal" game like Tina and Steve in the movie _Date Night, _which she made Danny watch in the doctor's lounge one night. They picked out some people, and based a conversation or story around them. _She's really funny, witty and charming, but not mean, _he thought to himself. _That's her ammo with the guys, and what keeps them coming back for more_, he realized. Danny briefly let his mind wander as he looked at her figure, and wondered what it would be like to sleep with her, and then Mindy said something funny, making him laugh.

Admittedly, Mindy would be the first to tell her friends she was somewhat rhythmically challenged. She was not a great dancer on her own, but with Danny leading, she looked like she kew what she was doing on the dance floor. As they danced, they looked at each other, relaxed, happy, and having fun. They laughed easily at each other's jokes, made it a point to find excuses to touch the other, and….flirted….a little, okay, maybe _a lot_. As they danced, the space between them got smaller and smaller. They both felt nothing short of electricity between them. One would have to be blind not to notice their body language with each other…they were literally drawn to each other.

"Danny, have to say, I'm impressed. You can pick up Indian dances, and you can ballroom dance. Is this how you get the ladies?" Mindy asked as they dance the rumba.

"You don't think my patented ass grab move that I taught Stevie was my ace?" he jokingly replied.

"Nope."

"What about you, how do you get the guys?" he asked.

"Oh, the usual…wit, charm, grace. Well, maybe not grace. Can't keep a beat to save my life. Did I ever tell you my piano teacher begged my parents to let me quit?"

"I'm sure that was part of your plan all along," he said.

"You know me well," she said. "Hey, by the way, this is the first wedding I've been to where I'm not being pitied, and in fact, I think rather envied," she confessed.

"Well, let's give them something to talk about, then," he said as he spun her around and showed her off on the dance floor.

Lisa and Deep were nearby, dancing. "Hey, what's their deal?" Deep said to Lisa, as they looked over at Mindy and Danny. They played this game, too.

"She's Meg Ryan, and he's Billy Crystal in _When Harry Met Sally_, but they can't admit it yet. Casey is the fiancé in _Sleepless in Seattl_e but Mindy doesn't know it yet. " replied Lisa.

"Oh, you're good, and yep, there is definitely a spark between them." Deep replied as he gave his girl a twirl on the dance floor.

Danny found himself closing the gap on their personal space as the evening progressed. It felt natural for him to touch the small of her back as they walked over to the bar to get another drink. Neither of them were weirded out by a dance or two, or twenty…it was an Indian wedding, after all, and the love in the air granted them unspoken permission to let loose and have some fun. Danny looked around. _Everyone_ was having fun, the mood was festive, and he and Mindy were getting swept up in it. He could not remember the last time, or if ever, he felt this openness in his heart towards a woman. Women had tried to forcibly "open him up", but from his past experiences and relationships, it just made him shut down. _What made Mindy different?_ he wondered. He felt a gut reaction with Mindy. He trusted her, and often confessed things to her that he didn't intend to share with anyone_. _Mindy never gave up on anyone, or any relationship; she was always all in until the end, even at times, at her own expense. He admired that about her because he spent a lifetime building a wall of protection from people who inevitably abandoned him.

3 am. Mindy was exhausted, and a little tipsy. Danny cut her off from the bar before she could have too many drinks and do something to really embarrass herself. He felt he needed to protect her from herself, sometimes. At the beginning of the night, he got it that she was putting on a show because she felt judged, but by the end of the night, it didn't really feel like a show….the attraction was all _too real,_ and they both knew it. But, it felt like it was okay given it was one, fabulous night that they got to try on what it would have been like to be a couple, and that they would go back to being regular Mindy and Danny tomorrow. They were sitting at a table, watching people dance. Danny's tux jacket and tie had come off, and a he had unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt. By this point, Mindy kicked off her heels and rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed. A long, drawn out, looking-up-at -the-ceiling Mindy sigh, like she did when she was lying on her office floor.

"What?" Danny asked in his gravelly voice.

"Can't a girl sigh, Danny?" Mindy replied. "Another fairy tale ending….for someone else but me," she said wistfully. "But thanks for playing along, I probably owe you, like a lot of pizza for helping me with this situation. Maybe a lifetime supply from that pizza joint you like so much. I still think you should try that pizza truck I keep telling you about."

"Why would I eat pizza that came out of a truck?" Danny replied. He softens.

"You know, I had fun, Min." Danny said, "we're even, okay?" as he kissed the top of her head. She pulled away to look him in the eyes. Mindy tilted her head and smiled a little at him. Danny surprised her tonight, and she kind of liked it. Mindy was not sure what is going on with her insides. She felt conflicted between what seemed to be happening with Danny and the knowledge that she was engaged to Casey. Her gut instinct were telling her one thing, her head told her something else, and her heart was getting caught in the middle.

Danny felt her looking at him…._differently_. He knew this look, it was the oh-how-I-want-you look. "Do you….want to get out of here?" Danny asked her, unconsciously licked his lips and then bit it when he realized what he just did. "I mean, you can crash in my room, there are 2 beds, and I can't obviously let you drive home like this, in a drunken stupor and all…." and he gestured up and down at her with his hands, and waits for it…

"Okay, first, I've never been in a drunken stupor, that's not lady like, and besides, you know I can drink anyone under a table…..and two, you should be so lucky to get me out of this sari and let me rock your world. But you're right, I can't drive home like this and Lisa and Deep are long asleep." Mindy sighed. "Do you have pajamas I can borrow? And please don't tell me you sleep in the nude, Danny, 'cause I will just have to make gagging noises if you do."

"Oh, don't you wish, Mindy," he said back.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7. Confessions and revelations: I can't help falling in love with you.

They walked up to Danny's hotel room. It's luxuriously appointed, neutral in color and elegant. There were 2 beds, just like Danny said.

Mindy felt a yawn come on and stretched out her arms. "Gotta get out of…this…sari…and need…pajamas. STAT," she said rubbing her eyes.

Danny sighed. He only brought one pair of pajama pants and his Columbia sweatshirt to sleep in. "You can borrow this if you want," he offered. He could sleep in his tee shirt and boxers. He went over to his leather duffel and pulled out the well-worn sweatshirt and pj pants and handed them to her. She asked Danny to help her take off her necklace after she has removed her earrings and bangles and put them on the nightstand. He touched the back of her neck gently with his hands, and her breath catches. She had butterflies in her stomach. It felt very intimate to her, and she wondered if he felt the same. She then ushered herself into the bathroom and tried to collect her thoughts behind closed doors. _Mindy, you are engaged, get it together!_

She docked her smart phone into the Bose speaker in the bathroom and put on her "Romantic comedies suck….but not really" playlist. She slowly took off her sari and folded it carefully. She stepped in the shower. The hot water felt good and relaxing against her tired muscles. A Doris Day song came on on that she loved, even if it was "old school". It was from one of her favorite rom-com scenes in _Strictly Ballroom_ where the main characters were dancing in front of a curtain, unaware that others could see them. Mindy loved to sing in the shower. It relaxed her, "You won't admit you love me, and so, how am I supposed to know, you always tell me, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. If you don't make your mind up, we'll never get started, and I don't want to wind up, being parted, broken-hearted…." she sang softly.

Mindy exited the shower, dried off with her towel, and got dressed in Danny's old sweatshirt and pj pants. She loved the feel of the well-worn cotton next to her skin, and she felt kinda sexy that she was wearing his clothes, with his lingering scent mixing with hers. She no longer felt tired. She brushed her teeth, took out her contacts and tip-toed out into the room. The room was darkened, lit only by a soft glow from the bathroom light, and Danny was under the covers in his bed. He had turned down the other bed for Mindy when she was in the shower. _Thoughtful of him_, she noted.

She slipped into her own bed and pulled the sheets up to her chest, and rolled over on her side to face Danny. He had fallen asleep in his bed, facing her. She could hear the rhythm of his breathing. It was not the first time she had seen him asleep and looking peaceful. There were plenty of times Danny would be dozing post-delivery on the couch in the doctor's lounge. But, context changed everything. In this hotel room, in a bedroom, seeing Danny asleep triggered a new sensation in her heart. _It ached_. Longing was tugging at her heart strings, and it scared her. Random moments and thoughts from the last few months were wiggling its way from her subconscious, and she allowed them to surface, unlike in times past.

Mindy closed her eyes and pictured Casey-cute, "do-good for the world", not-a-jealous bone-in-his -body-, Pastor Casey in his blue-grey suit, getting ready to marry her. She thought back on their first date, when he prayed at the table, and that kind of threw her off a little, and they laughed about now. When Casey asked her to convert to Christianity, every one of her co workers was all for it, except Danny, who was the ultimate Catholic. She didn't want to go to Haiti, but somehow her plan of staying behind backfired and she felt compelled to do a grand gesture to win him back….for love, right? When Mindy thought about her future with Casey, she couldn't seem to imagine a city that they would be living in, or what kind of house, or what her children would look like. It was all so…fuzzy and blurry to her. Casey was probably the first guy she dated that hadn't turned out to be a jerk. He loved her, she loved him. But…there was something missing. _What was it?_ "What if I am not supposed to be with Casey?" Mindy let herself think aloud. _Just give me a sign_.

Danny stirred from his sleep, "Mindy, did you say something?" He blinked a few times, opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. Danny looked at her with concern. Mindy looked so vulnerable just then, as he saw a look of inner turmoil in her eyes only for a second, and then it was gone, replaced with a wide smile. There they lay, both looking at each other from their beds.

Mindy blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "How did you know I wasn't happy in Haiti?" Mindy asked Danny, "_I _didn't even know it until I came back."

There was no hesitation, no filtering, when it came to their conversations. Due, in part, to many long hours and nights spent on residency together taking care of their patients. They had a bond. They had trust. Some experiences they shared were miraculous, while others tragic. After all, they were doctors, and they were in the business of new life, and unfortunately, death, at times. When they worked together in the operating room as a team, they could communicate just with a look in their eyes, with the rest of their faces hidden under scrub hats, surgical masks and gowns. Mindy knew what suture type Danny liked, and Danny knew that Mindy only liked a certain type of surgical mask so that it didn't fog up her glasses when she operated. In an emergency procedure, there was no time to think. You had to rely on your colleague to know your professional strengths and weaknesses, and to act on them automatically, like a reflex. She wondered if Danny might know more about her than just about work stuff, but maybe life stuff.

The hotel bedroom was now acting as their confessional instead of the doctor's lounge.

He sighed. _Should he tell her the truth? _ He knew before she left for Haiti that she wasn't going to be happy. Mindy had a romantic idea of what love was supposed to be like, only because she had never been _in love_ with someone. She had wanted to be in love so much that she changed herself for her boyfriends to make a relationship work, or ignored classic red flags of a womanizer, whatever, the list went on. Mindy wanted grand gestures and overtures when it came to love, but didn't realize that in order for grand gestures to work, at its core, if you loved someone, that was enough. _She_ was enough, just as she was. He tried to tell her that before at the pizza joint, but she didn't _hear_ it. He could tell her the same thing a million times, but she would have to realize it for herself.

"Mindy, what do you love about Casey?" Danny asked. He looked at her eyes, searching for an answer, any answer that would make him convinced Mindy was really in love with Casey. Danny knew if Mindy really did love Casey, then he would somehow disentangle himself from her life. Danny told himself it would be okay, just another person that had to leave him for someone or something else. Deep in his heart of hearts, though, he knew it might break him for good.

"Danny, what kind of question is that?" Mindy asked with some exasperation in her voice. It was a little insultingly simple and seemed somewhat arrogant.

"No, Mindy, it's the only question….I'm on your side, okay?" he replied.

Mindy hesitated….how come she felt unsure of the correct answer?

"He loves me and makes me want to be a better person," she said slowly. Something about that answer didn't sit well with her, and Danny picked up on it. He _knew_ it. If she was truthful with herself, Mindy had never been in love because she never felt she was enough with these guys.

Danny took in a deep breath. "You are enough, just as you are, Mindy," he said with conviction, "you don't need to be a better anything….got it?" He looked straight into her eyes, and it seemed, her soul when he said that.

She nodded slowly, gulped her heart down her throat, or maybe she was choking back some tears. _That was the right answer_, and she recognized it on the deepest levels, in her gut, in her heart, in her mind. His words resonated with her like a perfectly played chord on her heartstrings.

"Um, Danny, what does it feel like, you know, to really love someone?" Mindy wanted to know from him. Danny could not have been so hurt if he had not been in love before, right? She expected Danny to talk about Christina. But, maybe not, since they parted ways. Again.

It was Danny's turn to hesitate a moment. _Should he tell her?_ He had been afraid, waiting in the shadows too long, and he couldn't lose her. _ Alright, Danny, brace yourself. You have to trust Mindy, even if she ends up with Casey. _Under the covers, he made the sign of the cross, just in case.

"Well, Mindy, your heart feels full, it feels open, it feels alive when you are around that person. The world is brighter, sharper, and more colorful. You look forward to the next day at work with that person. And when that person isn't around you and goes to Haiti, you missed the smallest things about them, you wait for the next letter to come, you longed for them, you ached for them when you thought they might be hurt…or sick. And when you see that person again, you never want them to leave your life again. Life just wasn't the same without you."

Mindy's heart melted when she heard Danny say that about her. She let go of her fear of not being loved, of not being lovable enough, because she had been loved all along, by Danny. Danny, who seemed arrogant and angry on first meeting, but who actually was driven, brilliant, passionate, confident, and warm. The arrogance and anger had dissipated as she got to know him better. He was the perfect counterpoint to her. Mindy knew she was a strong personality and she needed an equal, and she felt that in Danny. She needed that electricity in her life, the spark of a passionate personality, to be happy.

She knew what she had to do now. Mindy realized that she wouldn't be happy with Casey in the long run. She was going to break off the engagement and stop lying to herself. Casey's dreams were so different than hers, and she wanted him to follow his path as well. Mindy loved him in the way of a dear friend, but she simply could not picture him as her husband. There was no spark, no fire between Mindy and Casey. Mindy told Danny her thoughts about Casey, and he listened. She was at peace, and for the first time in her heart, she felt home.

"I will never leave you, Danny." she whispered. Mindy always knew what to say to settle Danny's emotions, "and thanks."

"For what?" he said, feeling lighter. He had no idea what a burden it was to carry that around with him.

"For being you," she smiled.

He returned the smile, she _heard_ him this time.

"Good night, Min."

"Good night, Danny," Mindy replied. "Sweet dreams." she added.

"You, too."


	8. Chapter 8

Ch8: Danny: Bring your A-game

She turned on her back, pulled the duvet up to her chin, and looked up at the ceiling. Mindy thought back to when they first met at Columbia-Presbyterian during residency. She and Danny both knew there was something unique between them. In the beginning, they had a friendly rivalry. In time, they became worthy sparring opponents, equally matched in smart-ass comments, and the occasional verbal insult below the belt. Only they seemed to possess this unwritten rule book of when they were rivals or allies. It seemed at the wedding, they were definitely allies, and maybe more…..

"Danny," she whispered, "are you still awake?"

"Barely," he answered back.

"Did you mean it when you said you had fun at the wedding?" Mindy asked.

"Yeah, it was fun."

She thought back to when they were dancing, the heat of their bodies so close together, the electricity of each flirtatious look or touch, the intimacy of a shared laugh...

Mindy gave Danny the look from earlier, teasing eyes and beginnings of a smile. "Hey, Danny, are you waiting for me to write you a personal invitation to be delivered by Harry Potter mail owl, or are you going to get over here in my bed?" Mindy said impatiently. No sooner had she finished the sentence, Danny was in bed with her, practically on top of her.

"God, how is it that you look even sexier in my sweatshirt and pajama pants than you did in your sari?" he said, kissing her neck and collarbone. "You, Mindy, have no idea what you have been doing to me tonight. "

Danny had resigned himself to the no sex zone after Mindy's heartfelt confessions about her and Casey not working out. Don't get him wrong, he was so happy that she was not going to marry the wrong guy, but kind of a mood killer. But, Mindy rekindled the fire, just like that. Although he could just rip her clothes off and consume her with his passion, he wanted them both to savor every minute of this.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," she said as she ran her hands all over his body. She smiled, and couldn't help herself. She loved to fuel the fire, "Show me what you've got, Castellano, and don't forget to bring your A-game with you." She waited for it…..

"Hey, Min, you'll be screaming my name by the time I'm done with you," he said with a mischievous grin before he kissed her passionately. His hands were reaching under her clothes...

"Oooh" she purred.

Wow, Danny was more into it than she had thought!

"Ugggg"

"What, am I too fat?" she asked defensively.

"Huh?"

"Why are you acting grossed out?"

"I think…I think…." Danny couldn't get the words out. He looked as pale as a sheet.

"What?" Mindy was starting to get a little worried.

"I think I don't tolerate Indian so well."

"Don't tell me you're against inter-racial love!" Mindy tried to read his thoughts.

"No, the food! the food!" as he ran out of bed and into the bathroom.

Awkward sounds emerge from the bathroom…

"Mindy….Min-DY!" Can you turn the volume up on the TV? And probably you should open the windows too!" he said in a pleading voice.

Horrified, Mindy turned on the TV, first turning on Maury for late night TV distraction. One episode passes, then another. Mindy grows engrossed in the reality and is about to find out who the real father of the baby is, when Danny came slinking out of the bathroom.

"Wow, that food really caught up with me." said Danny with a sheepish grin.

"I warned you that Indian weddings are all night events. Rule number one: Never eat the food after it's been sitting out for more than 2 hours." she said matter-of-factly.

"Last time I had Mexican food I missed work for 2 days," Danny recalled.

"Wait, was that the time you asked me to cover you because you said your best friend was sick?" Mindy asked.

"I was too embarrassed to tell you that I was recovering from a bad chimichanga," Danny replied and patted his sore stomach.

"You smooth operator," she said with a grin. She patted the bed beside her.

"Like you don't also get some GI problems? Remember the infamous waffle night episode during residency?" he asked, with a twinkle in his eyes as he climbed into bed next to her.

"What, that was nothing…" she said, dismissing now infamous "doctor's lounge bathroom incident of 2010"

"Maybe to you, we couldn't use the on-call bathroom for a week!"

"Only because the cleaning lady wouldn't come," she said as she put her hands on her hip while she was lying down.

"Why was that? Oh…yeah, because she refused to clean up after you since you insulted her in Spanish."

"That's your fault, you told me that 'bruja' meant 'nice shoes'. "

They both laugh as they recalled the events.

"That was when I knew," Danny said quietly as he looked into her eyes.

"Knew what?" Mindy asked innocently.

"I knew that I couldn't live without you, and that you'd probably always find a way to make both my heart, and my stomach, do somersaults." he said with a smirk.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about the years they had known each other and exchange "remember when" stories.

As dawn broke, and they were falling asleep, Mindy said, with a sarcastic smile, "you definitely brought your A-game tonight"

"and then some…" he smiled as he fell asleep snuggled next to Mindy.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch9: Walk of shame? Oh hells, no! I'll take another first kiss.

The sunlight drifted through the curtains, and annoyingly, right in her eyes. Mindy stirred and woke up in bed, alone. She didn't hear a shower running. She saw a note on the nightstand.

"Damn, Danny, you'd better not back out on me," she said aloud as she reached for the note.

_Hey, Min-_

_Went for a walk and to get you some clothes to wear._

_Love, _

_Danny_

_It was weird seeing the word, "love" in Danny's handwriting, and she would treasure it always. _She smiled and put the note in her purse_. _The thought of Mindy doing the walk of shame wearing either a sari or pajamas was not even a consideration for Danny, so he took charge. She hadn't thought about it until just now….._oh hells, no_! She was getting too old for the walk of shame, especially since they never got past first base_….thank you, Danny, for thinking of me. _

He went to Saks and asked one the sales ladies for some help. He described Mindy's personality-colorful, warm, charming, and one-of-a-kind, and they helped him navigate through the sea of clothes until he found what he thought suited her. They even wrapped up everything as gifts so she could have the joy of unwrapping them. He also stopped by La Perla and bought her a beautiful bra and panties. He didn't need _any_ help picking out what he wanted to see on her. He couldn't help but smile when he thought about her wearing lingerie, only to have him take it off again. _Alright, cool it, Castellano,_ he thought. _Focus_. He headed back to the hotel, bags in tow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hotel door, Mindy was about to get out of bed when the door opened and Danny walked in, carrying several bags. Mindy looked over from the bed and gave him a bright smile. Danny looked at her and thought she just lit up the room with that smile. He walked over to her sitting on the bed, now just a little unsure if she was going to like what he bought for her.

"Good morning, Min. You looked so peaceful sleeping, so I thought I'd let you sleep in a little," he said as he bent down to give her a kiss.

"Morning, Danny. You shouldn't have, but it's so thoughtful of you," Mindy said as he sat down next to her and she rubbed his back.

"I hope you like it. I tried to picture your closet. I still can't believe you have a whole room that's a closet."

Danny handed Mindy the presents, one by one, and he found joy in seeing her rip open the package in anticipation and how her expressive brown eyes sparkled with delight. He was so in love with her from afar for so long. He wanted to be the guy Mindy showed off in front of everyone, he wanted her to light up just for him, he wanted to hear her scream his name in a moment of orgasmic ecstasy. He wanted to give her the world, and he would do anything, to make her happy.

"Oh…my…God….Castellano, you did well, my friend. Thank you, this was so generous and thoughtful of you! Also, I seriously underestimated your fashion sense. Maybe you don't need a lookbook after all," she teased him.

"I have no idea what that is, but I pay attention to details, Mindy," he paused, "when it matters to me. Why don't you get ready and we'll go out to lunch?" He didn't know what a lookbook was exactly, but he might google it later.

Mindy showered and got dressed: La Perla bra and panties, check. _ I know what we'll be doing after lunch,_ she thought with a sly grin.

She put on the the outfit, it was sooo her:

-An Akris tailored stretch cotton azul sleeveless print dress with a vibrant floral pink photo print around the band collar, nipped waist with black leather belt and pleated skirt with black color block band at the hem.

-Alexander Wang black sling backs with asymmetrical detail.

-Rebecca Minkoff studded quilted leather shoulder bag.

Mindy looked at herself in the mirror after putting on her make up. Damn, she looked good, if she said so herself! She walked out of the bathroom and strutted her stuff for Danny. He leaned back on the bed, arms behind his head, legs crossed at the ankles and smiled. She twirled, and he whistled at her. Mindy loved it.

Danny walked over to Mindy, cupped her face in his hands, and gave her a passionate kiss that left her weak in the knees. He caught her before she buckled and guided her towards the bed. There would always be time for grand gestures of love later, but they were enjoying the romance of another first kiss. They didn't make it out the door for lunch the first time, or the second time, but they eventually made it out to dinner.


End file.
